Control system



H. 0. RUGH.

CONTROL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION rmzn maze, 1912.

1,105,843, Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

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,THE NORRIS PETER (30., PHOTOJJTHQ. WASHINGTON. D. C

" unirnn STATES rgrnrrr OFFICE.

HARRYO. HUGH, OF SANDWICH, ILLINOIS, .ASSICI+NOR,,BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO HALL SWITCH & SIGNAL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

CONTROL SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented All. 4,1914w Application filed August 26, 1912. Serial No. 717,090.

-' To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY O. Brien, acitizen of theUnited States, residing at Sandwich, in the county of Dekalb' and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Control Systems, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to controlling systems and is of particular utility, for instance, in connection with a circuit used for certain purposes such as signaling, in which the c signaling operation or other function which the circuit is to perform may be done in one or more of a plurality of different ways, the manner in which it is done serving at the same time to perform selectively other functions than those for which the circuit is primarily laid out. p

As a specific form of carrying out my invention, it might be applied, for instance, to a railway system whereby a selective signaling circuit is provided having means to selectively call any one of a plurality of stations along said circuit. The specific arrangement then may be that this selective signaling may be carriedon entirely by currents of one polarity or maybe carried on entirely by currents of another polarity, the polarity of the current used for this selective signaling, not changing the response of the signals or having any effect on the signaling 36 operation. It may be desired then at these various stations to perform other selective features, for instance, to lightor extinguish lamps at the various platforms, and the control of these lamps is effected through the choice of the polarity of the current used for signaling. Thus it might be that during the day time currents of positive polarity are used at the central station to perform the selective signaling, which currents of positive polarity will not affect lamp controlling clevices. At night then, currents of different polarity may be used for this signaling which afiect the lamp controlling devices so as to maintain the lamps in their illuminated to condition.

As stated, the abovespecific description is merely illustrative of one form which the invention may take, and I have chosen this specific form to illustratemy invention in a this specification, and I will now describe the same in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a ciri cuit arranged in accordance with my invention, and Figs. 2 and 3 are specific modifications thereof.

ef'erring more particularly to Fig. 1, I show a central station A and two substations B and C united by line conductors 1 and 2.. In the specific form, herein shown I light lamps at the substations and these preferably secure their power from a separate power circuit which in this instance I have shown as extending from the generator 3 at the central stationby means of the conductor 4-. throughout the various substations, one terminal of the generator being grounded as i is customary with trolley circuits. At the central station I show a signal sending key (S whichis merely typical of any suitable calling mechanism to operate the selective signaling devices and this key 6 in, connection with its contact 7 and battery 8 serves to impress impulses in accordance with the operation of the key on the circuitconsisting of the line wires 1 and 2. At the central station I also provide a reversingswitch 9 which when in one position arranges the circuits so that the key 6 and battery 8 may send, say, positive impulses on the circuit and which when in its alternative position reverses the polarity of the impressed current.

At each substation I provide a step-bystcp element 10 having an arm 11 which primarily engaging a spring 12 causes the operation of the local signal 13 through the agency of the battery 1.4L. This step-by-step element 10 is controlledby a step up pawl 15 under the control of an armature 16 which is actuated by a stepup relay 17. A holding pawl 18 is provided under-the control of a slow acting magnet 19 andboth the magnets 17 and 19 are in circuit with the branch conductors 20 and 21 leadin from t the main circuit comprising the conductors 1 and 2. Normally a spring 22 retains the pawls 18 and 15 from engagement with the teeth of the step-by-step element 10 but the first impnlse,which may be a long impulse, energizes both relays 17 and 19 and causes theirpawls to enter the teeth of the ele,,

11 and 12 of the desired station into contact.

The time interval between succeeding impulses is insufiicient to permit the slow acting relay 19 to release its pawl 18. When the impulses cease, however, the spring 22 -WithdraWs the pawl from the teeth of the element 10 and thereby also withdraws the pawl from;v engagement with the teeth. of the element 10 so that this element by reason of its spring 23 may be restored to normal. against the stop 24.x Included in the circuit in which the magnets 17 and 19 are serially included is a Polarized electromagnet- 25. The armature 26 of this electromagnet carries a contact element 27 designed under certain conditions to contact with its contact point 28. It will be understood that the magnets 17 and 19 are not polarized and Will. perform their function of operating their associated signal. 13 irrespective of the polarity of the impressed current. The polarity of the impressed current, however, controls the actuations of the armature 26 and if the current i is of one polarity elements 27 and 28 engage and remain in engagement until current of circuit, assuming that the generatorv 3 supe plies current of approximately five or six hundred volts. Of course there may be more than one circuit of lamps at each substation as is readily apparent. During the daytime currents of one polarity are used to operate the magnets 17 and 19 so that the magnet 'will remain in a position Which will keep the contacts 27 and 28 sepa-.

rated. At night time current of opposite polarity is used for signaling, which current of opposite polarity actuates the mag net 25 and keeps it in its actuated position to cause contact between the elements 27 and 28, thereby to keep the lamps lighted.

Y The means which I employ to control the I lighting .of these lamps through the agency of the magnet 25-will now be explained. I

v provide an auxiliary magnet 30 so that the are which would normally occur upon breaking the circuit through contacts 27 and 28 may be avoided there by providing an ar1nature31 having a carbon contact 32, in shunt thereto which when the armature 31 is attracted engages the carbon contact 33 provided upon the support 34. The circuit for lighting the lamps 29 then extends from the 'conductor 4 to theconductor 35, magnet 30,

contact 28, contact spring 27, conductor 36,

lamps 29 to ground at 37. A parallel path ments 27 and 28 for which reason the re sistance 39 is included so that the magnet 30 is not deenergized when th1s auxiliary circuit is completed. It will thus be seen that when the ar-mature 26 is moved'to a 130-,

sition in whichit breaks the contact between the elements '27 and '28 thatthecircuit through the lamps still remains closed I through the elements 32 and 33, which then break the circuit subsequently as the magnet 30 must of course release its armature subsequently to the breaking ,of its circuit through the elements 27 and 28. I

It will thusbe seen that the signaling operation may be carried on and depending upon the Way'inwhich it is carried on,

other selective features may be controlled -such as the lighting and extinguishing ofthe lamps, as explained. i y

In Fig 2, I show a modification in which the magnet 30 is included in circuit With the contact elements'27 and 28 directly to ground at 37, in which arrangementitis of course necessary to have the magnet 30 of yery high resistance so as not to deprive, the lamps of current. The circuit through the lamps 29 extends then directly from the conductor 4, throughthe contacts 32 and 33' to ground at 37. In Fig. 3, I have shown a modification in which the first of the two circuits extends about the contacts 2 7. and 28 is provided from the conductor, 4,'through contacts 27 and 28, magnet 30, and lamps 29 to ground at 37,-and the second of the said circuits extends from the conductor 4 through the resistance 39, contact elements 32 and-33, to

a point on the first circuit intermediate the magnet 30 and the lamps 29.

As before stated thedescription herein is specific to one form of carrying .out the iiu invention, and the invention is therefore not to be considered as limited to this specific,

form, but is to be considered broadly as set forth in the appended claims.

I .claim i 1. A-system of the character described having'a plurality of stationsunited by a circuit, signalreceiving"devices at said stations responsive to impulses-of both polarities, a relay associated with said clrcuit responsive to current of one polarity only,

switching means controlled by said relay,

translating devices controlled said switching means and auxiliary circuit changing means bridged across said switchingmeans to control the actual breaking of circuit through said translating devices. z 2. A system of the character described having a plurality of stations united by a circuit, step-by-step signal-receiving devices at said stations responsive to current impulses of both polarities, a relay associated with said circuit responsive to one polarity only, switching means controlled by said relay, translating devices controlled by said switching means and auxiliary circuit changing means bridged about said 5 switching means to directly operate said switching means.

3. A system of the character described having a plurality of stations united by a circuit, step-by-step signal-receiving devices at said stations responsive to current impulses of positive and negative polarity, means at a station adapted to impress current of either positive or negative polarity on said circuit, a relay associated with said circuit operatively responsive to impulses of one polarity only, switching means controlled by said relay, translating devices controlled by said switching means and auxiliary circuit changingmeans bridged about said switching means.

4. A system otthe character described having a plurality of stations united by a circuit, step-by-step signal-receiving devices at said stations responsive to current impulses of positive and negative polarity, means at a station adapted to impress current of either positive or negative polarity on said circuit, a relay associated with said circuit operatively responsive to impulses of one polarity only, switching means controlled by said relay, translating devices controlled by said switching means, and a circuit changing relay bridged about said switching means.

5. In a system of the character described, the combination of a signal circuit uniting a main and a pluralityof substations, a power circuit extending along substantially the course of said signal circuit, selectors at the substations on said signal circuit, a polarized relay on said signal circuit,translating devices adapted to be fed from said power circuit and controlled by said polarized relay.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 17th day of August, A. D., 1912.

HARRY O. HUGH.

Witnesses:

O'r'ro M. NERMICH, MAXW. ZABEL.

Coplea ot this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatenh Washington, D. G. 

